Graduate Program

College Student Affairs

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Semester of Degree Completion

Spring 2022

Thesis Director

Jon K. Coleman

Thesis Committee Member

Catherine L. Polydore

Thesis Committee Member

Kelly P. Miller

Abstract

Social media has become a way of personal communication as well as a way for brands and businesses to connect with consumers. In the past twenty years, the expansion of technology into everyday life has impacted the way we interact and communication. There is a lack of information surrounding how social media is influencing prospective students’ college choice. There are studies focused on student college choice, and studies focused on how social media impacts consumers, but there is limited research focused on bridging the two concepts. This quantitative study utilized a causal-comparative survey to explore the influence of institutional social media on prospective student college choice on admission to a rural, mid-sized university in the Midwest. The research showed that prospective students were influenced by social media when compared to other college choice factors, and that social media did influence Black student enrollment to the university.

Download

Share

COinS